This week I have also been remembering — or, in some cases, learning for the first time — about the Dakota Uprising. I think we must remember history, or we are doomed to repeat it. And these days I worry that we are more ignorant of our history than ever. This year is the 150th anniversary of the Dakota conflict, and there will be events all over Minnesota. Here in St. Paul, take some time to go to Fort Snelling and learn of the history that occurred there — the imprisonment of thousands of Dakota women, men, and children. The forced march that led to so many deaths. The mass execution of Dakota men.

This history is extraordinarily painful, but forgetting — or refusing to learn — does not make it go away. Only repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation bring healing.